Improvement in gates



N. Y. SHAW. Gate.

No. 214,590. Patented A ril 22, I879,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NATHAN Y. SHAW, OF FREEHOLD, NEW YORK.

lM PROVEM ENT IN GATES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,590, dated April 22, 1879 application filed January 29,1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN Y. SHAW, of Freehold, in the county of Greene and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Gates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in a gate hung or pivoted midway between its ends to a pendulous bar or rod hinged or pivoted at its upper end to an upright -post or standard, and in providing said gate at each end with a notch or shoulder to engage with a shoulder or stud on the post or standard to hold the gate in an open or a closed position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a face view of the gate in a closed position, and Fig. 2 a similar view of the same in its. opened position.

In the drawings, A represents the gate, and B the post or standard, from which it is suspended by means of a bar, 0, attached to the .post and gate, respectively, by loose bolts or pivots a b.

The gate is provided at opposite ends with locking-shoulders c and d, arranged to engage with the opposite faces of a block, 0, upon the post B as the gate is brought to one or the other of its positions, and to lock it in such position. 1

In practice I prefer to hang the, gate by at-- taching the suspending-barC thereto above the center of the gate, as shown, and to so balance the gate upon the pivot b that when sustained by the bar 0 alone it shall assume a horizontal position, though it may be hung below the center if for any reason it should be found desirable so to do.

When the gate is closed it occupies the position represented in Fig. 1, the shoulder 0 engaging against the side of the block 0, and serving to lock the gate in that position. By simply depressing the end of the gate next to the post or standard B the shoulder c is disengaged from the block 0, when the gravity of the gate and its suspending bar or rod (1 causes it to swing downward, the tendency, of course, being for the bar 0 to assume a vertical position, and to bring the gate to a half-open position. The inertia of the moving gate is, however, sufl icient to carry the suspension bar or rod a considerable distance beyond its vertical center, and this force, together with a very slight amount of power applied by the operator, will cause the gate to swing to afull open position.

WVhen the gate is hung from a point above the center, as above described, and as shown in the drawings, the gate, assuming, by reason of its weight, a horizontal position, will cause the shoulder at to be thrown upward behind the block 6, as shown in Fig. 2,1ocking the gate open.

When the pivot b is below the center, the gate may be readily locked in either position by simply raising the end nearest the post or standard, and causing the engagement of the shoulder with the block 6. This latter method of hanging the gate permits the use of a somewhat shorter post or standard for a suspending bar or rod of given length; but it is preferred to place the pivot above the center, as the gate is therebycaused to lock automatically in both positions.

The gate, being hung from above, is not liable to become inoperative through the accumulation of snow or ice, is simple, cheap, and strong, and easy oioperation.

I am aware that a gate has been secured rigidly to the lower end of apendulous bar, so as to swing bodily upward in opening, and

also that a gate having a counter-weight attached has been suspended at its rear end by a chain in such manner as to swing horizontally around a post, and such arrangements I hereby disclaim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination of a pendulous bar and a gatepivoted at its middle to the lower end of said bar, and arranged to swing endwise without departing from a substantially horizontalposition, as described and shown.

2. A pendent gate provided at its ends with shoulders or studs 0 (1, adapted to engage with afi xed block or stud to hold the gate open or closed.

3. The combination of the gate A, having the shoulders c d, the post B, having a block or stud, c, and a bar or rod, 0, pivoted at its upper end to the post, and at its lower end to the gate at a point between its ends.

. NATHAN Y. SHAW.

XVitnesses Oscnn A. MARIE,

DAVID E. POWELL. 

